1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector having improved housing structure for electrically connecting a central processing unit (CPU) to a printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional CPU sockets have contacts for electrically connecting CPUs to PCBs. Tail portions of the contacts are soldered to the PCBs, and receiving portions of the contacts are electrically mated with pins of the CPUs. During CPUs mating with the sockets, the pins of the CPUs are inserted into the CPU sockets with zero insertion force, i.e., the pins of the CPUs do not contact with the contacts. Then, the pins of the CPUs are actuated to engage with the contacts of the CPU sockets. The pins engage with the resiliently deformed contacts. Example of such a conventional CPU socket is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,757 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The socket has a housing 4 with a plurality of slots 41 opened therein. A plurality of contact-receiving passages 42 is formed in the slots 41 for receiving corresponding contacts 6. Initially, CPU pins 5 are inserted into the socket without contacting with the contacts 6. Then, the CPU pins 5 are actuated to engage with the contacts 6 along a direction indicated by V, therefore the contacts 6 are electrically connected with the CPU pins 5. However, because there is no stop to block the pins 5, when the CPU pins 5 are under an undesired shock, and when the shock force is just loaded along the direction indicated by V, friction between the CPU pins 5 and the contacts 6 is too small to resist the shock force, the CPU pins 5 may move further and are positioned in undesired places indicated by broken-line. This may result in failure of electrical connection between the CPU pins 5 and the contacts 6. Further, the CPU pins 5 disconnected from the contacts 6 are needed to be actuated along a direction indicated by Vxe2x80x2, then the CPU pins 5 which are positioned in the wrong places may press the contacts 6, and this result in plastic deformation and even damage of the contacts 6.
Accordingly, a CPU socket with improved structure is desired to overcome the shortcoming of the conventional CPU socket.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having improved housing structure for electrically connecting a central processing unit (CPU) to a printed circuit board (PCB).
To achieve the above object, a connector for electrically connecting pins of an external electrical device with a printed circuit board comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contact-receiving passages defined in the insulative housing, and a plurality of contacts secured in corresponding contact-receiving passages. The insulative housing has stopping blocks which are positioned beside the contact-receiving passages for blocking the pins of the external electrical device.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with attached drawings, in which: